Assassin's Creed - Rogue Assassin
by novadragon1000
Summary: Original story based on the Kenway Saga...Nothing Is true , Everything is permitted. Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent. Hide in plain sight, be one with the crowd. Never compromise the Assassin Brotherhood. This is the laws I ounce lived by , I was a young man at that time , I am Earl Ashford born to English immigrants to NY and this is my story.
1. Chapter 1

_The influences of the Assassins had spread throughout the ages due to the results of the actions of Altair Ibn-La'Ahad , Ezio Auditore da Firenze many years ago. Not much is known about how or when the Brotherhood was formed. Sometime between 1501 and 1503, the Italian Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze sent a group of Assassins to find a map to the New World, and they decided to establish a presence in the colonies before the Templars did._

 _It is the late 16th century. The time when settlers started settling in the new world , the assassin brotherhood was established by Ah Tabai, the Mentor of the Caribbean Assassins, was known to have had several contacts with Assassins in the British colonies. Around 1740, Ah Tabai sent his student Achilles Davenport to establish a Brotherhood in the North American colonies. There, Achilles met John de la Tour, an Acadian Assassin operating on behalf of the French Assassin Council. De la Tour was attempting to build a network of information which would help identify threats against the colonies. De la Tour theorized that the New World would contain various Precursor sites and artifacts._

 ** _Nothing Is true , Everything is permitted_**  
 ** _Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent_**  
 ** _Hide in plain sight, be one with the crowd_**  
 ** _Never compromise the Assassin Brotherhood_**

 _This is the laws I ounce lived by , I was a young man at that time , I am Earl Ashford born to English immigrants to NY and this is my story. I was brought to the Colonial Assassins after the death of my parents by a childhood friend Jaden_ _O'Brien where we served under the Mentor Achilles Davenport.  
Over the first four years in the assassin brotherhood Earl had fully devoted himself to 'the creed' _serving dutifully. However, he still pondered the ambiguous areas between the motives of the Assassins and those of the Templars, their sworn enemies. Over time, he voiced these doubts to his closest friend Jaden often calling him Jay about the morality of the Assassins' actions and the Creed, as well as the increasingly tight control their Mentor was placing on them. When not on missions Earl is often seen training his skills of marksmanship , swordplay , tracking and stealth.

While on a mission in the North Atlantic Earl and Jaden was told to scout the area. Earl then tries to get a drop on him pouncing on his friend from a tree and misses. Jaden then laughs and talks to his friend _" almost got me there "_  
 _" Almost ? , well next time I will pin you "_ Earl responds.  
 _" there is no next time "  
" That is something we do for ourselves " _Earl finally says.  
Earl and Jaden came across one of their assassin comrades , who was supposed to meet with smugglers carrying valuable cargo. When the smugglers were intercepted and captured by the Royal Navy, Earl infiltrated the smugglers' camp, eliminated the British guards, and commandeered their ship, a warship named the osprey.


	2. Chapter 2

Earl then takes the wheel and drives the ship out to sea _" well they won't be needing this anymore so all hands on deck. "  
_ The rest of the crew remark on the ship's lack of better weapons and armor but Earl tells them otherwise stating that those are things they make for themselves , telling them he doesn't believe in luck , destiny or fate and that people can control their fate , and that after a few upgrades this ship will be like any other ship out there.

Like Shay Cormac and Connor Kenway also known as Ratonhnhaké:ton , Earl also has skills in Naval combat since his father is a marine merchant till one day the sea had claimed his life and crew he had joined his father that day but his father sacrificed himself by tieing his son down to the mast and did not have enough time to secure himself as well days later Earl was washed ashore by the ocean's tides, Earl's mother also passed away giving birth to him.  
Without anyone to turn to Earl wondered the streets of New York often picking fights in local bars and taverns. Then one day Earl gets injured in a bar fight taking a knife to his arm , much to his surprise Jaden was watching and came to his aid.

After dealing with the aggressors Jaden pulls Earl back to his feet. _" hey long time no see mate "  
_ Earl then looks at his friend wondering who it is.  
 _" Earl , its me your childhood friend , Jaden O'Brien "_

Earl had no idea that Jaden became an assassin , Jaden then continues to talk to his friend and was able to finally get him back on his feet telling him what is past best stay in the past it is the future we will fight for. Jaden introduced Earl to his Mentor, Achilles Davenport, and inducted him into the Brotherhood not long after.

 _" What will we do now Captain ? "_  
 _" Rescue the captured crew and ship , sink the rest "_

A firefight then broke out among Earl's ship and the surrounding Royal Navy fleet. Shortly after Earl and Jaden returned to the Davenport Homestead, headquarters of the Colonial Assassins, Earl ounce again trained under the guidance of his friend Jaden and several others Laim Jenson and and Kesegowaase, before meeting with Achilles to receive a new mission.  
Achilles talks about two first civilization that were stolen by templars a scroll and a crystal ball. Earl and Jaden are then sent to track down the artifacts. Earl meets with the Assassin informant Gilbert Durandal who points him to the destination of a Templar base deep in the Caribbean jungle where the artifacts were last seen.

When they made landfall Jaden told his friend _" I will scout ahead. "_ Jaden then intercepts a package after eavesdropping on a conversation between two templar soldiers and uncovers an air rifle in the shipment. Jaden then delivers it to his friend just as he was about to break into the Templar base. Breaking into the base Earl witness the meeting between several templars Lara Johnson , Kaiden Sheppard , Lawerence Washington, Samuel Smith, James Wardrop, and Jack Weeks. Lawerence then gives the order to guard the artifacts before dismissing them.

Earl and Jaden then tails one of the templars to the location where they are hiding the artifact a chest at the far side of the camp. Earl intends to kill the templar leader and get to the stolen goods. Jaden then attempts to stop his friend _" don't do it you are about to break one of our laws , to stay hidden and never reveal yourself "_ thinking that his friend will recklessly do something. _  
" Aye mate can't you see this is not the middle ages ? and besides you worry too much. that templar is in the way of our target , besides power and destiny are things we do for ourselves. I will make in impossible , possible "  
_ Earl then draws the air rifle given to him by Jaden and takes aim at the templar captain. _" after I take out the captain , we will drop down and take out the two guards nearby. "  
_ Earl then takes a breath and steadies his aim then fires a shot putting the Templar to sleep. Earl and Jaden then proceeded to kill the two remaining soldiers. Earl and Jaden then bring the artifact back to the Davenport Homestead. About halfway back they were intercepted by Samuel Smith. Earl fraught back and defended the ship and crew killing Samuel in the process.

Upon returning to the colonies tensions begin to rise between the French and British forces escalated to the brink of war. Earl was then introduced to Shay another member of the assassins , Shay and Earl are then sent to Albany, New York, to eliminate James Wardrop and Lawerence Washington as well as recovering two additional artifacts a Precursor box and manuscript.  
Shay and Earl then returns to the Homestead in the midst a storm when Benjamin Franklin suggested to use electricity to activate the boxes and he was successful showing the locations of two first civilization temples. one on Lisbon , Portugal and the second in Cabo San Lucas Mexico.

To cover more ground Achilles dispatches both Earl and Shay to the two locations to recover the artifacts warning them of its power.


	3. Chapter 3

Arriving in Europe in 1755, Shay set out for the Carmo Convent in the heart of Lisbon. As the priest conducted mass inside, Shay activated several mechanisms at the convent's apex, opening a passage to the Temple hidden beneath. He then entered the Temple and approached the Piece of Eden – which appeared as a shining, star-shaped artifact suspended above a pedestal – and removed it from its place. However, disturbing the artifact from its stationary position caused it to disintegrate, and triggered a massive earthquake. As Shay emerged from the Temple, he hurriedly made his way through the collapsing city as civilians and buildings fell around him. In a swift but fortunate motion, Shay was able to make his escape and leap into the sea; he then swam back to his ship and sailed for the Thirteen Colonies.

Upon his return to the Homestead, Shay stormed into the manor and accused Achilles of sending him on the mission while aware of the chaos that taking the Piece could cause, recounting that the earthquake in Haiti happened shortly after François Mackandal sent Vendredi, one of his men, into a First Civilization Temple which Mackandal had discovered. Although Achilles insisted he knew nothing about the possibility of triggering a disaster, Shay maintained that he had been made to slaughter hundreds of innocents on Achilles' command.

Refusing to serve under a man who would brush off such destruction and loss of life, Shay resolved to steal the manuscript in order to prevent the Assassins from finding other Temples. Sneaking into the manor that night, Shay took the artifact and was about to make his escape before he was confronted by Achilles. When the Mentor tried to stop him, a struggle ensued, during which Shay was thrown outside through a broken window.

With the Assassins hunting him across the Homestead grounds, Shay made his way to a cliff overlooking the bay, but was cornered by the remaining members of the Brotherhood. As he attempted to leap into the water below, Chevalier de la Vérendrye shot Shay in the shoulder, which caused him to fall off the ledge, though Shay was led to believe it had been Liam who shot him. Due to this turn of events, the Assassins believed Shay dead and the manuscript lost, though his unconscious form was rescued and placed in the care of Barry and Cassidy Finnegan by a Templar, Colonel George Monro.

* * *

At the same time Earl was sent to Cabo San Lucas mexico due to his skill in tracking and nature survival skills during the time of the colonies most of the oceans off the costs of Mexico was largely unexplored. After several months of searching he found the temple in the middle of a Pericú village the natives of the land.  
Earl then activated several mechanisms at the convent's apex, opening a passage to the Temple hidden beneath. He then entered the Temple and approached the Piece of Eden – which appeared as a shining, star-shaped artifact suspended above a pedestal and removed it from its place. However, disturbing the artifact from its stationary position caused it to disintegrate, and triggered a massive earthquake. Earl emerges from the Temple, he hurriedly made his way through the collapsing collapsing area around him. Earl was able to make it back to his ship , where he was comforted by his friend Jaden _" you ok mate ? "_  
Earl turns away after witnessing the wrath of nature's fury. _" Isn't the assassins supposed to protect nature and people ? this mission just made me take the lives of a whole village. "_

Jaden lets out a sigh _" Earl , sometimes things happen and nothing can be done about it this is all just a part of life , human life is fragile and we seek to protect that. "  
_ Earl remains silent and sets sail back to the thirteen colonies where he confronts the mentor Achilles Davenport months later after arriving.  
Earl shouts at his mentor _" you know this will happen and your orders caused the death of an entire village. "  
" I already lost one good person , I do not want to lose you too. Besides I do not know such a thing can happen and on top of that have the Brotherhood taught you nothing this should be the proof that human life is indeed fragile and must be protected what happened is indeed misfortune , but sacrifices must be made to ensure templars do not succeed now go. " _

Earl grips a fist and pulls his hood over his head and walks out in silence. Achilles then commands Jaden to watch Earl. Later that night Earl intends to break into the homestead to steal the scroll thinking to himself _( " I am sorry , but I have to do this. ")_ Little did he know he is being trailed by his best friend who catches Earl breaking into another chest holding the scroll of eden like the map that holds the locations to North America the one taken by Shay , this one holds the locations to south America and Central.

Jaden confronts his friend _" Earl , have you gone mad ? you do not know what you are doing , put the thing down and walk away "  
_ Earl refuses the request prompting Jaden to take action _" I am sorry , even though you are my close friend but I cannot allow you to betray the brotherhood "_  
After a brief struggle Earl is shoved out a nearby window. Jaden then talks to his mentor who sends the rest of the brotherhood after Earl. The brotherhood then corners Earl at a cliff that leads to the sea. Jaden ounce again attempt to convince Earl to turn over the artifact.  
 _" Many lives had been lost already including Shay why does one more matter ? "_

The assassins then fire a gun hitting Earl in the midsection just as he was about to jump , which caused him to fall off the ledge, though Earl was led to believe it had been Jaden who shot him. Due to this turn of events, the Assassins believed Earl dead and the Scroll lost.


	4. Chapter 4

_Here the darkness is eternal. There is no sun , no dawn just the darkness of night. The only light source is the jagged forks of lightning , carving a path through the clouds. In their savage wake thunder shreds the sky , unleashing a torrent of rain... The storm is coming and there is no escape..._

Earl's eyes snapped open , the primal fury of a nightmare wrenching him awake. Earl sat up and held his head in the palm of his hand. _( " What was that ? ...a dream ? a vision ? a warning ? " )_

Earl pushes the thought out of his mind and got out of bed wondering what had happened to him when he fell into the water. His thoughts then went to Jaden. But Jaden is a part of the brotherhood and he choose to protect what he had learned about the Seismic Temples even if it meant he had to turn his back on the brotherhood.

Earl was found by Haytham Kenway's crew and taken on-board their ship. Haythem confronts Earl recognizing the assassin insignia and the name etched on the inside cover of a pocket watch that his crew took from Earl a name in which he knew was an Assassin by blood Victor Ashford , Earl's father. Haytham demands a few answers with a bit of distrust in his eyes.

 _" I just wanted to protect the world , the brotherhood sent me on a mission which resulted in the destruction of a village , besides there is no where i can go. "  
" You know you cannot be a hero if you are dead , but perhaps you can make yourself useful then. "_  
Haythem then makes an agreement but did not reveal the secret behind the pocket watch , thinking if he knew it that can effect his judgment and perhaps his sworn enemy. Regardless Haythem returns the watch back to Earl. Earl then pockets the watch and remains silent.

 _" People need to be told what to do or uncertainty will lead to chaos , when you feel well enough there is work to be done "_

Earl had been brought up believing that his father was a merchant on the high seas , but that was never the case Earl's father was really an assassin and Earl was never told what had happened to him making Earl believe that his father was lost at sea.

* * *

 _~ 10 years ago ~  
Earl Ashford age 7  
_

 _" hey father were are we going now ? "_

Victor Ashford remains silent and had planned to give his son a gift but his work never given him the time to do so and today was his birthday. An idea then came to his mind and he pulls out his pocket watch etching his name and the assassin symbol on the inside cover thinking ... _( " son , in the case you lose your way this is how you can find me , the assassins above all fight for freedom and free will. Wars , the sad truth is that casualties occur and this is one war that may never end. Where one war ends another begins the cycle of hate. " )_

Victor then calls his son over and presents him the pocket watch. _" Remember son if you ever lose your way this is where you can find me and I will always be with you , but only you could decide which path to follow. "_

Earl opens the watch cover and there inside cleanly etched on it was his father's name and the assassin symbol.  
 _" Father whats this symbol mean ? "_  
 _" When you are old enough I will tell you "_

During this time Earl traveled with his father visiting places around Europe and North Africa. Several months later Victor was called to a mission and Earl was left under the care of a friend , he then decides against that and took Earl with him knowing he will be more happy that way and one day he will take up his business so he begins showing Earl his merchant trade.  
Upon arrival Earl was put under watch of the ship's first mate. _" now Earl stay on the ship .. hm . "  
" Yes father "  
_

Under orders of Victor his crew never revealed to Earl that they were assassins , but this current mission is a trap set by the Templars. Victor leaves the ship joined by another who unknown to him was a Templar spy. Now that they are alone this was the perfect time to strike.

A few hours later ...Bang !  
The sound of gunfire rang out from the nearby area causing a flock of nearby birds to fly.  
Earl asks the ship's second in command. _" What was that ? "  
_ Soon after their ship was surrounded by several warships a man-of-war and several frigates.  
The first mate curses under his breath and takes command of the ship knowing his orders very well is to protect Earl and adopts him as his own child and also remembering his promise to Victor to only tell Earl when the time is right. For his safety he sends Earl to the hull of the ship. Earl then looks out a porthole to see whats going on outside. After the skirmish Earl was let out of the hull of the ship.

Earl becomes distraught after the loss of his father for the next several years and begins to question the secret behind his father's crew. At the suggestion of the ship's former first mate, Alexander to write to his father in order to cope with his grief and gives him his fathers journal.

The journal then began with this paragraph

 _" What was the start of all this ?_  
 _When did the clogs of fate begin to turn ?_  
 _Perhaps it is impossible to grasp that answer now,_  
 _From deep within the flow of time..._  
 _But for a certainty , back then_  
 _we loved so many , Yet we hated so much_  
 _We hurt others and were hurt ourselves_  
 _Yet even then , we ran like the wind_  
 _whilst our laughter echoed_  
 _Under the cerulean skies... "_

 _To my son Earl Ashford ,_

 _i wish i could tell you before , but since you are reading this now it meant that I have already passed on from this world. In this journal I enclose my last will and testament to you , and the secrets I never told you.  
_ _ _So let me start with the watch I gave you. My son you may what that symbol i had engraved in the watch was that is the insignia of the Assassin Brotherhood. The wisdom of the creed started as told by our forebears  
__

 _"Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember..."_  
 _"Nothing is true."_  
 _"Where other men are limited by morality or law, remember..."_  
 _"Everything is permitted."_  
 _"We work in the dark to serve the light. "_  
 _"We are Assassins."_

 _The brotherhood was born of the "realization" that to be wise, one must first liberate one's mind from the assumption of having acquired true knowledge. I also want you to think for yourself and dispute others' opinions. What had happened to me was indeed unfortunate but I knew it will happen one day his name is Charles Johnson. I am sure that he has his own network and carried out several jobs for me as well as Haytham Kenway, he is younger but I fear age cannot be escaped. Do take care if you plan to go after him one day, your death by his hand will be the most unfortunate he did have a home in Boston , your search is best started there._

 _This ship you may also think is a merchant vessel but it is really a vessel that belongs to the Colonial Assassins my ship hand is the assassin Edward Kenway , let him teach you what i cannot I made him your godfather in case something were to happen to me._


	5. Chapter 5

Earl wanted to put the book down but continued reading...

 _My son , I also leave to you my deeds to a wholesale warehouse I have in New York , this is a sort of a hobby to me when I am not running missions for the brotherhood. I also give you the Ashford family household , Edward will often crashes the night with us as well from time to time and I had been great friends with him to a point I had decided to make him your godfather in case something were to happen to me , I know you will learn much from him._

 _Your Father_

 _Victor Ashford_

 _" Damm you father leaving me alone like this , now I have no place left to call home. "  
_ Earl is constantly depressed and distraught to a point Edward tells him to write how he feels in his father's journal and begins teaching him his skills in use of throwing knives , CQC and use of swords, piloting ships, stealth, eavesdropping and pick pocketing. So Earl begins his life as an assassin.

 _~ June 1694 ,_

 _I am 14 years old now 7 years had passed since the death of my father Victor Ashford , Edward had been like a father to me during all those years and taught me some things as well like home is where the heart is and that the future is the thing we make for ourselves , that I should choose my own destiny. Haythem Kenway is my adoptive brother , and his older half-sister_ Jennifer Scott as my adoptive sister. They are much older than I am , but i still enjoyed their company. Still I know things can change so I try not to let it bother me.

 _~ August 1694 ,  
_

 _I went on several missions with him my adoptive father Edward and other times my adoptive brother Haythem. I slowly begin to understand my father and became at peace again the assassins really fight for freedom though the motives of the individuals may vary. I remember one mission very clearly with Edward we were off the coast of Cuba near Havana in the Caribbean. It was a contact mission given to us by the mentor to steal some clothing to use as disguises.  
A few months later I was sent on a mission with Haythem.  
_

 _~ October 1654 ,_

 _The weather is getting colder and the nights getting longer , the mission was a success but things took a turn for the worse. A few weeks after returning from our mission my adoptive father Edward Kenway was killed followed by a string of betrayals that lead Haythem Kenway to abandon all he ever fought for with the Assassins. I was again left alone , for the next three years I had distanced myself from the assassins.  
_


End file.
